Grift



(No Model.)

W. C. VANDEG'RIFT. KITE.

NO 497,393. Patented May 13,1893.

wmtm wma. mqvmegmz Bw' @wub M @L /61% y 1m www@ :rens 0c.. mom-uma..wAsmNcrun. u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VILLIAM C. VANDEGRIFT, OF TOLEDO, OHIO.

KITE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters latent No. 497,393, dated May 16,1893.

Application filed August 29,1892. Serial No.444,459. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM C. VANDE- GRIFT, of Toledo, Ohio, have madea new and useful Improvement in Kites, of'which the following is a full,clear, and exact description.

My improved kite comprises a body and wings, the wings being adapted tobe vibrated, or moved, in imitation of the wing-movement of a bird.

The improvement relates to the means for producing the vibration of thewings, to the mode of attaching the string, and to other features of theconstruction,all substantially. as is hereinafter set forth and claimed,aided by the annexed drawings, making part of this specification, andexhibiting' a desirable Inode of carryingout the improvement and inwhich- Figure l is a face view of the improved kite; Fig. 2- a crosssection of the same on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1; and Figs. 3 and 4details, upon an enlarged scale, being views of the means for reducingthe speed imparted to the Wings, Fig. 3 being a view of the gearing fromthe point of view of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 being a sideview of the parts ofFig. 3.

The same letters of reference denote the same parts.

A represents the body, and B B the wings of the kite, and O represents awind wheel Whose motion is utilized to effect the Wingmotion. The formsof these parts can be varied considerably from those shown withoutdeparting from the principle of the improvement. The preferred shapeshowever of the parts respectively are the ones exhibited, the bodyrbeing extended to form, or being provided with, a head o., which isunited to the body by means of a neck ct; the wings being narrower atthe inner end, b, thereof, and thence widening substantially as shown;and the Wheel C, although it might beotherwise shaped to form awind-operated wheel, and be otherwise arranged with relation to the bodyA, being preferably of the double spiral form shown, and being held inan opening d2, in the body. The Wings are arranged preferably directlyopposite the body-neck, d', and respectively at opposite sides thereof,and they are pivoted, respectively at b', and b2, to the central portionof the construction, and, asin the present relative arrangement ner endof each wing is opposite both the upper end of the body-proper and thelower part of the head. Each wing is pivoted to both the body and thehead, substantially as shown, and so as to enable the wings to be movedwith relation to the body as is indicated by the broken lines in Fig. 2.The Wheel O is attached to a suitable shaft, c, which, in turn, isconveniently journaled in bearings c', c2, in the body A. Said shaftl isprovided with a screw c3, which engages with a screw gear wheel, D, thatis journaled in suitable bearings d, d,v upon the central portion of theconstruction. The wheel, D, is provided with a double crank-shaft CZfrom whose wrists d2, d2, pitmen E, E, lead to connect with the wingsrespectively at e, e, substantially as shown. The rotation of the windwheel therefore causes the wings to vibrate in the manner indicated,but, owing to the described reducing-speed gear, the wings do notvibrate as rapidly as the windwheel rotates.

I desire not to be restricted tothe described mechanism for reducing thespeed of the wings. It is possible of course to drive the wings directlyfrom the Wind wheel shaft; but in such case the Wind-wheel might need tobe enlarged to obtain the requisite power, and, again, the vibration ofthe wings might occurtoo often. Accordingly I prefer to reduce the speedof the wings substantially as described. The pitmen can workconveniently in the spaces at the sides respectivelyof the neck,substantially as shown. The wind-wheel is arranged within the body A,partly to provide a guard for it, which is supplied by the surroundingperipheral portion of the body, and

of the wings to such central portion the inpartly to bring it nearer thepoint at which its power is applied to the wings. The form of wind wheelshown is a desirable one gen erally for the purpose in question, and itis also a convenient one to make, thespirals c5, c5, in practice beingreadily cut from paper and attached tothe shaft c as shown. Y

The mode of attaching the string F to the kite is considered a featureof the improvement. Instead of securing it to the central portion of thekite it is secured by means of the guys f, f, f, f, or other desirablemeans, which lead to the wings, and at a point, in each wing, betweenthe inner and outer ends thereof, and preferably at a point which shallcause the outlying portion of the Wings to substantially balance theinlying portion in connection with the central portion of theconstruction.

So far as employing a wind-Wheel, for producing desirable effects in akite is concerned I desire not to be restricted to the movable Wingssolely in the application of the power derived from the Wind-wheel, asthe shaftmotion derived from the rotation of the wind wheel can beutilized for various purposes in and about a kite, such, for instance,as moving a head, eyes, tail, or legs, or other attach-` ment, withwhich the kite may be furnished, or producing a pyrotechnic eect, oroperating a signal, or for steering the kite, to which, or other ends,the Wind-wheel shaft-motion may be variously transmuted in any desirablemanner.

In operation, the kite is held by means of the string and iiown in theusual manner. The Wind encountering the wheel C causes itand its shaftto rotate, and, in the present instance, the shaft-motion iscommunicated to the Wings causing them to vibrate in the mannerdescribed.

l. The combination, in a kite, of a central portion and Wings, saidWings being movable upon said central portion and said central portionbeing furnished With a Wind Wheel,

said wings and said Wind wheel being con-V nected for the purposedescribed.'

2. The combination of the body, the pivoted Wings, and the Wind wheel,said Wind Wheel being attached to a shaft Whose motion is communicatedto move said wings, substan tially as described.

The combination of the body, the Wings, and the wind-wheel, said Wingsbeing pivoted upon said body, and said wind Wheel being attached to ashaft which, in turn, by reducing-speed mechanism, is geared to saidWings, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the body, the piv oted Wings, the Wind-wheel, theWind-Wheel shaft, the screw, the screw gearing-wheel, the double crank,and the pitmen, substantially as described.

5. The combination, in a kite, of the central body, the pivoted wings,and the string, said string `being connected with said kite niet itswings substantially as described.

Vitness my hand this 26th day of August,

WILLIAM C. VANDEGRIFT.` lVitnesses:

C. D. MOODY, y A. BONVILLE.

